The present invention relates to a method of and to an apparatus for severing elongated bodies (hereinafter called strips or strands) of metallic material. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in a method of and in an apparatus for severing profiled strands or strips of metallic material which is to be severed at an elevated temperature. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in a method of and in an apparatus for severing or subdividing elongated strips or strands of metallic material, such as steel, while the material is in motion.
In accordance with heretofore known proposals, elongated strands of steel or another metallic material are normally severed by an apparatus which burns the material of the strands. For example, such apparatus can be used to subdivide a continuous strand of heated metallic stock into individual sections such as billets or blooms. A drawback of apparatus which sever the material by combustion is that losses in material are quite substantial. Furthermore, the apparatus are rather expensive because they must be equipped with a source of a gaseous fluid (normally oxygen). Such apparatus are likely to contaminate the area around the severing station.
It is also known to sever running strands of hot metallic stock by tongs or shears. Such severing apparatus are often utilized in plants wherein the strand is produced by continuous casting. They exhibit several serious drawbacks, e.g., the cut is not clean because the blades of the tongs are located in two parallel planes so that the regions of cut exhibit burrs, fins or similar irregularities. Furthermore, the tongs must advance with the running strand of metallic material through a considerable distance which contributes to the bulk, complexity and cost of the apparatus. Still further, the maintenance cost of the apparatus which employ tongs is quite high.